Debut marksman

Fleetwood Town’s defeat at Northampton will not be remembered as the best team performance but for 17 year-old Jamie Allen it will remain forever in the memory as the youngster made his mark in the Fo

By David Mitchell

Fleetwood Town’s defeat at Northampton will not be remembered as the best team performance but for 17 year-old Jamie Allen it will remain forever in the memory as the youngster made his mark in the Football League with a debut goal fifteen minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Allen pounced on the edge of the area and instinctively struck a right foot shot of shoulder height past Northampton keeper Lee Nicholls:
‘The ball as knocked forward and I was on to it straight away. It seemed to take ages to get into the net. I can’t describe the feeling! Some of the lads told me afterwards that I tried to take my shirt off but I don’t think I did! It was a great moment for me but there were mixed emotions as we were down at the time.’
There has been clear progress since Allen joined Town’s youth set-up under Steve Carling two years ago. A product of Ribbleton FC, he has shown his goal scoring prowess for the reserves this season with a hat-trick at Oldham before extending his experience with three games on the bench over Christmas. The young striker thought it was going to be a fourth last Saturday until he got the nod from Graham Alexander:
‘I was told to keep warm but, to be honest, I thought I’d get on if we were something like 4-0 up! I was surprised but delighted to get the call and scoring the goal was more than I could have expected. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. I got a few touches of the ball while I was on and didn’t lose it so, overall, I’m very happy.’
There will be no more delighted than his manager who congratulated Allen as he came out for the interview, as well as reminding him to keep his feet on the ground. There is little doubt that this young star of the future will be well-nurtured by his coaches at Highbury:
‘I need to keep my head screwed on and work hard in training. When another chance comes I’ll look to take it like I did on Saturday.’
Jamie Allen will no doubt savour his moment and enjoy all the calls and texts that will have come his way by the time he turns his phone back on! Those in the Cod Army fortunate enough to be behind the goal at Sixfields will be hoping that they witnessed the first of many!